The Key Update, Volume 2 No. 8, February 2006

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NEWS AND REPORTS

Efforts continued throughout January to help thousands of low-income
consumers of mental health services grapple with changes to Medicare that
have prevented many from receiving medically necessary medications.

At least 24 states have provided emergency drug assistance, according
to The New York Times. For its part, the Bush Administration has ordered
prescription drug plans to provide a 30-day supply of regularly taken
medications to low-income beneficiaries who either can’t access or can’t
afford the medication under the new plan, the Times reported.

Consumers with questions or concerns about benefits may contact the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services at 1-800-Medicare or http://www.cms.hhs.gov/

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced new drug-labeling
rules to take effect on June 30, 2006.

The federal agency says the new labels will be easier to read. They
will feature a “highlights” box explaining a drug’s risks and benefits,
and many of the legal warnings of the current labels will not appear.
Also, diagrams of drugs’ chemical structures will be further back. The
U.S. Surgeon General and the American Medical Association have expressed
their expectations that patients will benefit from the simplification.

However, some consumer advocates have protested the changes on the
grounds that they would potentially make it impossible for people harmed
by FDA-approved drugs to seek a legal remedy. At least one watchdog group,
Public Citizen, voiced fears that patients who don’t specifically ask for
more detailed information will receive “inadequate” pamphlets.

America’s homeless live with at increasing risk of criminalization and
injury—or death—as a result of hate crimes, according to several recent
reports.

“There’s open war on the homeless population,” said Michael Stoops of
the National Coalition for the Homeless. The coalition collaborated with
the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty on a report released
on January 11 that listed the cities that are “meanest” to homeless
people.

The report came just before violence against homeless people entered
the national spotlight when three Florida teen-agers were caught on video
beating a homeless man with bats; they have been charged in the murder of
a second homeless man.

The National Coalition for the Homeless has documented 386 attacks on
homeless people in the past six years—156 of them fatal. Stoops noted that
the number of incidents is likely much higher, because homeless people are
often reluctant to report the violence to police.

At the same time, cities are increasingly passing laws making it
illegal to beg, or to sit or lie in certain public spaces. Advocates argue
that criminalizing homelessness merely exacerbates the problem.

In a case with potential repercussions for people with mental
illnesses, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously on January 10 that a
Georgia prison inmate who uses a wheelchair could sue the state for
violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), according to the
Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law.

Tony Goodman argued that the state violated his civil rights when
prison officials failed to accommodate his disability, by, among other
things, failing to provide accessible shower and toilet facilities, and
forcing him to spend 23 hours a day in a cell so narrow he couldn’t turn
around in his wheelchair, according to Bazelon, which coordinated advocacy
efforts on Goodman’s behalf.

“We are encouraged that the decision gives Congress more authority than
the states have argued it has in this and other cases,” stated Ira Burnim,
Bazelon’s legal director. He added, however, that the Court’s decision
sheds little light on prospects for other plaintiffs who claim violations
of the section of the ADA that bars discrimination in public services.

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has released the initial
results of a new study whose goal is to assess the effectiveness of
treatment for depression and to help the 70 percent of individuals who are
not easily helped by medication.

Beyond judging safety and efficacy, the STAR*D (Sequenced Treatment
Alternatives to Relieve Depression) study is designed to measure practical
outcomes, including how well the individual is actually functioning, even
a year later.

NIMH reported that about a third of participants reached a remission or
virtual absence of symptoms during the initial phase of the six-year
study, with an additional 10 percent to 15 percent experiencing some
improvement. Later phases will help determine successful treatments for
the nearly two-thirds of those who were identified as treatment-resistant
to a first medication in phase one.

The rise in mental illnesses over the last half century seems to be
tied to an increase in junk food consumption and a decrease in certain
essential fats, vitamins, and minerals on the dinner tables of the
industrialized world, according to reports by two British
organizations.

Attention deficit disorder, depression, Alzheimer's disease and
schizophrenia can be blamed on what people are—and aren’t—eating, said the
London-based Mental Health Foundation and Sustain: the Alliance for Better
Food and Farming.

For example, people are eating 34 percent less vegetables and
two-thirds less fish than they were 50 years ago. Both reports note that
there is a higher incidence of depression in countries with low intakes of
fish, which contains several kinds of acids that are believed to play a
key role in mental health. In addition, less fresh food and more sugars
and saturated fats may result in depression and memory problems.

A former student is suing George Washington (GW) University along with
GW Hospital and eight university administrators after he was suspended
from classes and barred from campus in response to his seeking treatment
for depression. Jordan Nott claims that GW Hospital and his doctor there
breached his confidentiality by revealing information about him to the
university and to the director of the GW Counseling Center, and that the
Counseling Center then shared information with the GW administration.

“The basic problem is that GWU is punishing students like Jordan who
did exactly the right thing” by seeking treatment for their mental
illness, Karen Bower of the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, one of
Nott’s attorneys, told the GW Hatchet, a student newspaper.

The GW Hatchet also reported that, while Nott was apparently required
to sign papers waiving confidentiality before entering the hospital,
according to the Washington City Paper he was not aware of the
significance of the papers.

Bipolar disorder is more common among teenagers than had been
previously believed. A study of 391 teenagers admitted to Bradley Hasbro
Children’s Research Center in Providence, R.I., found that up to 20
percent of them had the thought disorder, which is characterized by
extreme mood swings. Previous estimates indicated that only 1 percent of
teenagers had it.

The authors of the study, reported in the Journal of Child and
Adolescent Psychopharmacology in December, suggest screening teenagers for
bipolar disorder as soon as they are admitted to a psychiatric inpatient
unit so that they can be appropriately treated.

In a related story, nearly one in 10 teenagers in the United States
experienced major depression in 2005 and fewer than half received
treatment, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration.

A recent study has confirmed the immense toll that mental illnesses
take on U.S. society. "It is now pretty much indisputable that depression
and anxiety in the workplace are an enormous expense to employers in terms
of health care costs and productivity," said Alan Langlieb, a psychiatrist
at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, lead author of the study.

According to estimates, depression cost the U.S. $83.1 billion in 2000;
anxiety disorders cost $63.1 billion in 1998; these are the most recent
years for which statistics are available.

Genetic factors play a more significant role in women’s risk of
depression than they do for men, according to the authors of the largest
ever study of depression in twins. The study, reported in the January
issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry, found that heritability of
depression is 42 percent in women and about 29 percent in men. This data
is based on a study of some 42,000 twins.

The study also found that certain genetic factors may affect one gender
and not the other. For example, genes may alter the risk for depression in
a woman’s response to cyclic sex hormones, particularly in the period
after she gives birth.

However, while depression is "moderately heritable," genetic factors
are "by no means overwhelming," said an author of the study.

RESOURCES

"Mentally Healthy Aging: A Report on Overcoming Stigma for Older
Americans," summarizes the results of two older adult roundtables in which
consumers and providers of mental health services, government officials,
researchers, older adults and media representatives discussed mental
health research on older adults and strategies to eliminate discrimination
and stigma. The roundtables were held in Washington, D.C., and Los
Angeles, respectively,

The report is available from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration National Mental Health Information Center,
800-789-2647.

"Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage Workbook for Mental Health
Consumers," now available in both Spanish and English from the National
Mental Health Association (NMHA), includes basic information about the
Medicare prescription drug benefit, tips to help people prepare for
enrolling in a prescription drug plan, resources and worksheets that can
help in enrollment and applying for financial assistance, questions to ask
when comparing plans, and definitions of common terms.

To obtain the workbook, click on the NMHA Web site (see below) or call
the NMHA Resource Center at 800-969-NMHA (6642), staffed by a bilingual
information specialist.

Kaleidoscope Magazine invites submissions that examine the experiences
of people who have disabilities. The semiannual publication accepts
non-fiction, fiction, poetry, book reviews, and photography as well as
artwork. According to its Web site, "The material chosen for Kaleidoscope
challenges and overcomes stereotypical, patronizing, and sentimental
attitudes about disability. Although content always focuses on a
particular aspect of disability, writers with and without disabilities are
welcome to submit their work."

See the Kaleidoscope Web site (below) for writer’s guidelines,
deadlines and other information.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Producers at the Oprah Winfrey Show have issued a call for guests who
suffer from mental illnesses including bipolar disorder and
schizophrenia"and excluding unipolar depression"as well as a variety of
personality and dissociative disorders.

The National Mental Health Association (NMHA), in Alexandria, Virginia,
is seeking a new President to manage the country’s oldest and largest
nonprofit mental health organization, to work closely with 340 affiliates
nationwide, to oversee a staff of 49 and an operating budget of
approximately $7.5 million, and to develop the Association’s capacity to
become a symbol of excellence. The new President will serve as the
Association’s chief spokesperson and advocate at all opportunities,
functioning as a major policy leader in the Mental Health movement. The
new President will formulate and implement marketing strategies to raise
the profile of the organization including implementing a major branding
campaign that will place the Association at the center of the national
dialogue around mental health.

The Association is seeking a highly skilled manager who is noted for
strategic thinking and brings experience running an organization
comparable in size and scope to NMHA. Additionally, the candidate must
have a demonstrated commitment to and passion for mental health and human
service administration. A college degree from an accredited four-year
college or university is required. Contact: Bonnie Smith, NMHA, 2001 N.
Beauregard St., Alexandria, VA 22311. Phone: 703-797-4314; Fax:
703-739-5917; E-mail: (preferred) bsmith@nmha.org

.

Position DescriptionPresidentThe National Mental Health
Association

Background

The National Mental Health Association (NMHA) was established in 1909
by former psychiatric patient Clifford W. Beers, a Yale graduate and
businessman who was hospitalized in a private Connecticut mental
institution after suffering a breakdown due to the death of his brother.
During his stays in various public and private institutions, Beers
witnessed and was subjected to degrading treatment and mental and physical
abuses by untrained, incompetent attendants. From these experiences, Beers
set into motion a nationwide reform movement that took shape as the
National Mental Health Association.

NMHA envisions a just, humane and healthy society in which all people
are accorded respect, dignity, and the opportunity to achieve their full
potential free from stigma and prejudice.

The mission of the National Mental Health Association is to promote
mental health, prevent mental disorders and achieve victory over mental
illness through advocacy, education, research and service. NMHA advocates
for public policies that promote mental health, consumer empowerment, and
an integrated, comprehensive, and accessible system of care; educates the
public about mental health and related illnesses; works toward developing
a broad-based national mental health research agenda which includes basic
research, services research and prevention research; facilitates and
supports Mental Health Association (MHA) affiliate efforts to provide high
quality, culturally competent mental health services and support; and
enhances the resources and infrastructure necessary to support and advance
the MHA mission.

The National Mental Health Association is the country's oldest and
largest nonprofit organization addressing all aspects of mental health and
mental illness. With more than 340 affiliates nationwide, NMHA works to
improve the mental health of all Americans, especially the 54 million
individuals with mental disorders. NMHA’s work has resulted in positive
change, educating millions about mental illness and reducing barriers to
treatment and services. As a result of these efforts, many Americans with
mental disorders have sought care and now enjoy fulfilling, productive
lives in their communities. NMHA advances policies and programs that
promote wellness, prevention, and resiliency for adults and children. The
organization promotes the full inclusion and involvement of consumers,
family members, and diverse cultures. All objectives are undertaken so as
to maximize the participation of consumers, family members, and other
communities and to assure that all aspects of organizational functioning
and initiatives are culturally and linguistically competent.

NMHA works with affiliates to strengthen the mental health movement
through partnerships that build, support, and sustain a powerful network
of healthy MHAs. The overarching goal of the national organization is to
strengthen the MHA movement through technical assistance, multi-model
communication, and mobilization of affiliate and national experts.
Association goals for 2005-2006 include providing integrated and
coordinated training and technical assistance that enhances the
organizational, financial and program development of affiliates;
leveraging field expertise through faculty, consultant, peer-to-peer and
online vehicles; managing dues and re-affiliation processes, fairly and
consistently; developing early identification/crisis intervention
protocols for affiliates in need of assistance; ensuring relevancy of
organization to affiliates; and expanding the MHA movement
strategically.

Current Situation

A 31-member Board of Directors comprised of advocates, consumers and
families of consumers, prominent mental health professionals, public
officials, lawyers, medical doctors, researchers, private consultants,
professors, and passionate mental health advocates governs the National
Mental Health Association. This actively engaged Board is administered by
a Board Chair, a Secretary-Treasurer, seven Vice-Chairs, and two
Task-force Chairs. The President oversees the day-to-day operations of the
institution, a staff of 49, and reports directly to the Board Chair. The
President works closely with a senior staff which includes a Chief
Operating Officer, an Executive Vice-President, and a Senior
Vice-President for Public Affairs, a Chief Financial Officer &
Vice-President for Administration, and a Senior Vice President for
Marketing & Development. Each of the Mental Health Associations
affiliated with NMHA elects it own Board of Directors and officers,
conducts service programs independent of the Association, and maintains
its own financial accounts.

The operating budget for 2006 is currently at $7.5 million with total
net assets valued at $3.9 million. The Association’s primary sources of
revenue are grants and contributions from foundations, government
agencies, corporate industry, and membership dues received from affiliated
organizations nationwide. The Board and staff are exploring new avenues to
secure funds through unrestricted gifts from individuals, private and
public grants, or unrestricted gifts from assorted corporate sponsors. The
Association must have a leader with strong fiscal management skills who
can develop and implement strategies for overall diversification of
funds.

Several initiatives are currently underway that will substantially
strengthen and reposition the organization. For the last several months,
the board has developed a national branding campaign that will unify the
organization and its affiliates in terms of work in the areas of policy,
program and service. In May 2006, the national offices will relocate to
office space that supports a strong and collegial work environment. The
board is interested in working through various funding scenarios for the
organization that will diversify funding; and finally, a comprehensive
plan for the advocacy of key policy efforts will be developed and approved
by the board.

Specific Role and Responsibilities

The new President and CEO of the National Mental Health Association
will join a dynamic institution on the rise and builds on several key
achievements in recent years, including implementing a new 5-year
strategic plan, lobbying efforts coordinated with state and local
affiliates in preventing threatened cuts to public mental health and
Medicaid programs, and providing financial support and technical
assistance to consumer-run community organizations in replicating existing
successful programs.

The new President will lead this organization collegially in a manner
consistent with the mission and vision of NMHA, and will develop the
talents and skills of the Association effectively. This official will
inspire and solicit support from a wide spectrum of people from different
social and cultural backgrounds, and have interpersonal skills that
inspire trust and confidence.

This official serves as the leader and chief spokesperson for the
National Mental Health Association. The specific responsibilities of the
new President are to determine and direct the master strategic plan for
the Association, identify and implement the fiscal goals to ensure
financial viability, define the short- and long-term strategic programs,
administer the objectives and policies of the Association, ensure
Association’s compliance with all legal and statutory requirements,
support and maintain community relations, and encourage diversity and
equal opportunity.

The President advocates for NMHA at all opportunities, functioning as a
policy leader in the Mental Health Association movement throughout the
United States. This official represents NMHA, its programs and policy
positions before a wide array of audiences, including but not limited to
members of the MHA affiliates, representatives of other organizations in
and outside of the mental health field, current and potential donors, the
media, and public officials nationwide. The President collaborates with
leaders in the public and private sectors at the local, state, national,
and international level in all areas related to NMHA’s mission. The
President works with state and local affiliates and with international,
national, statewide, and local associated groups for networking and for
collaborative opportunities. Frequently, NMHA collaborates with federal
agencies, foundations, corporations and other institutions to establish
premiere programs. The President will engender a sense of urgency for the
institution to strive for innovation, justice, equity and diversity. The
President will work to position the Association as a successful competitor
in the national market as well as a premier non-profit organization.

The President acts as the principal development and budget official for
the organization and implements fiscal goals to ensure financial viability
of the Association. The President plans, develops, and implements
strategies for generating funds and resources for the Association. This
official maintains an awareness of external funding opportunities and
plans with the staff and Board for future long-term funding
sustainability.

The President evaluates project management and oversees budgets of
funded projects. The President plans and implements comprehensive resource
development programs that target all appropriate components of private and
public sector funding and establishes appropriate mechanisms to report and
measure their success.

The NHMA President directs all NMHA activities and supervises a senior
management team in a collegial manner. The President ensures that the
institution maintains a competent staff and a cohesive workplace,
motivates senior staff to high levels of service, innovation, and
collaboration, encouraging staff development and striving for staff
diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunity. The President designs,
establishes, and maintains an organizational structure and staffing to
effectively accomplish the mission, vision, strategic plan, goals and
objectives of the Association. The President recruits, employs, trains,
supervises, and evaluates senior staff. The President reviews and approves
the internal organization of the Association’s functions through
departmentalization and delegation of duties and establishes formal means
of accountability. The President actively seeks to diversify staff in all
selection and promotional opportunities; communicating program objectives
to staff; establishing and maintaining a bias-free work environment; and
providing opportunities for staff to obtain further training and expertise
which will enhance the likelihood of upward mobility.

Establishing and implementing short- and long-range organizational
goals, objectives, policies, and operating procedures, as well as
monitoring and evaluating program effectiveness and making changes
required for improvement;

Designing and implementing systems to collect, maintain, and analyze
data;

Generating interim progress reports, final reports, and other
information related to projects or programs;

Ensuring compliance with all legal and statutory requirements;

Participating on international and national committees in the area
of mental health and other related fields.

Major Objectives

The new President is expected to accomplish the following major
objectives over the next 12-18 months:

Lead and manage the staff collegially in a manner that is consistent
with the mission and vision of the NMHA and its Board;

Develop funding strategies that ensure financial viability of the
Association;

Nurture the relationships with the 340 MHA affiliates, strengthening
and supporting their organizational capacity, and work collaboratively
with outside organizations in the mental health community, engaging
members and leaders on the national, state, and local level and
energizing them around the Association’s goals of promoting mental
health, preventing mental illness, enhancing and protecting access to
culturally and linguistically appropriate treatment, and fighting the
stigma and prejudice around mental illnesses;

Formulate and implement marketing strategies to raise the profile of
the organization including full implementation of the branding campaign;

Work as an advocate on promoting mental health for all people,
informing the public that being health conscious includes all aspects of
wellness, and that quality medical care must take into consideration the
whole person.

Professional Qualifications

The new President should possess the following qualifications:

Have a demonstrated commitment to and passion for mental health and
human service administration with a keen knowledge of mental and
substance use disorders, consumer empowerment and recovery, science of
prevention in the mental health field, and familiarity with current
strategies to reduce the social stigma of mental illness;

A college degree from an accredited four-year college or university;

Be visionary and develop strategic direction, providing leadership
around the Board’s priorities;

Have successful experience in non-profit development and experience
of successfully working with corporations, government agencies,
foundations and major donors;

Creative problem-solver with an ability to own up to professional
and personal mistakes;

Demonstrated competence managing complex organizations with a
professional style noted for integrity and honesty, strength and skill
for staff management and a noted ability for the empowerment of staff;

Knowledgeable about the mental health field with a political
astuteness.

Personal Characteristics

The new President should possess the following characteristics:

Personal commitment and passion for mental health and mental
illness;

Conversant and knowledgeable about the public health model and
prevention;

Strong interpersonal and communication skills with remarkable
clarity and accuracy with an ability to inspire trust and confidence;

Ability to recognize and maximize opportunity on behalf of the
organization;

Drive, coupled with energetic, entrepreneurial leadership qualities,
with a willingness to take risks and sometimes be unpopular in order to
be a strong advocate for people with mental illnesses;

A demonstrated commitment to excellence;

A charismatic speaker who can build positive relationships;

A team-building, collegial approach to work;

A positive and confident leadership style;

A warm, personal style with a good sense of humor.

Compensation

Salary and other compensation will be negotiated and will be
competitive with similar positions commensurate to qualifications and
experience.

The Pennsylvania Association of Psychosocial Rehabilitation Services
(PAPSRS) has announced its first annual poetry and essay writing contest.
Anyone is eligible to enter. Winners of the $100 first prize and the $50
second prize will also have the opportunity to read their poem or essay at
the PAPSRS conference, to be held April 4-6 in State College, Pa. Send
submissions to PAPSRS, P.O. Box 8071, Philadelphia, PA 19101 by March 17,
2006.

The National Mental Health Consumer Self-Help Clearinghouse Directory
of Consumer-Driven Services is available at: http://www.cdsdirectory.org/. The
directory includes programs in which mental health consumers play a
significant role in leadership and operation.

Searchable by location, type of program, and/or targeted clientele, the
directory aims to provide a resource for interested parties including
consumers, program administrators, and researchers.